The Path to Paradise
by Filidh
Summary: [Spoilers for Season 3] Bulshar has been defeated. The Garden of Eden was defended, as was the Earth. But for Wynonna and the rest of the gang, the loss of Waverly and Doc turns this victory hollow. As the team struggles to find a way to rescue Waverly and Doc they must confront their own inner demons, each other, and the new sinister forces all searching for "Paradise".


Breaking branches.

Feet hitting the ground.

Her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.

These all paled to the sounds she was desperately trying to block out. Her vision flashed, and before her she could see the familiar set of stairs, and Waverly atop them, wrapped in vines and struggling for her life.

FLASH

 _"Listen can you tell Nicole-"_

FLASH

 _Waverly's tearstained face, the hope gone from her eyes._

FLASH

 _"Please don't leave me alone in there with that thing!"_

FLASH

 _"WYNONNA!"_

CRASH

Wynonna felt her foot snag on an exposed bit of root, hooking her ankle and sending her hurtling to the ground and down a small embankment. She hit hard and rolled, almost knocking all the air from her lungs and leaving her with an impressive gash across her knees and elbows. Staggering to her feet, she bounded off again mindlessly hurtling through the forest.

Whispers came floating through the trees as she ran, from everywhere and nowhere.

 _Look at her go._

 _She's running away._

 _Again._

 _She let her only family die for her? And now she's just left them._

 _Seems like people don't really change after all._

 _Once a coward, always a coward._

Her face was too numb for her to feel if there were still tears. She suspected they had gone now, smashed away by the raw numbness she felt coursing through her veins.

 _Adrenaline is one hell of a drug._

The voices crept back into her ears.

 _Is it enough for what you are about to have to do?_

 _When you see her._

Nicole.

What would she say to Nicole? And Jeremy, and Robin?

Wynonna took a ragged breath and shoved those thoughts down. She slowed to a walk, fatigue finally breaking her down. Her lungs and chest were on fire; her legs shook. The rest of her was dangerously numb, whether from the cold or shock she did not know.

 _I just have to get back. I have to get back and start thinking of a way I can save her._

 _If it's not already too late…_

Wynonna took another breath, and dug her nails into her palms. She just had to push it down. She could handle it. Just push it down, away, out. Anywhere that she didn't have to experience it because at this point she was sure it would kill her. The monster was crawling closer and closer, a black sludge that threatened to catch her and drown her in her own grief and shame.

 _Just run._

And so she did.

But as she drew nearer to the homestead she could tell immediately something was off. There were several beekeepers all slumped around the house in various states of attempted entry. What caused her breath to catch and her to break out into a jog was the sight of the door. It was slightly open, and hanging at an odd angle off of one set of hinges. Shards of wood littered the front porch and she could see the door frame at the top was bent at strange angles with much of it missing.

"HAUGHT," she called out, voice shaking.

Silence

"Nicole! Jeremy!"

Nothing

A pang of worry lodged itself in her chest as she pushed open the wrecked door.

Adrenaline spiked anew inside her chest as she stepped inside, one hand holding Doll's guns and the other on her new sword. There were no bodies though, and no signs of blood or a struggle. Whether this was good or bad, she wasn't yet sure. As she moved from the kitchen where she had last left them, something caught her eye in the hallway to the stairwell. There was something scratched into the wood that formed the base of the stairs.

VALDEZ

Beside the name, much smaller and held up by a dagger embedded in the wood was a scrap of paper with an address written in neat, precise handwriting.

"Who the hell is Valdez?," she muttered, snatching the paper.

Wynonna paused, glancing about. Whoever this was, maybe there was someone in town who knew something, or at least some resources at the sheriff's office. Snatching the keys to her truck, she jogged back out of the house. She had to see if there were any other people left besides her. Had to form a plan. Had to keep moving or the grief rising like the tide, would overcome her here and now.

* * *

Wynonna slowed her truck as she entered town, scanning the streets for any signs of life. Cars sat, some with doors open, and empty bags and broken glass littered the ground.

And she saw no one.

Wynonna pulled the truck haphazardly across the curb and jumped out. She crossed the sidewalk and pushed open the dark wooden doors of Shorty's. The place was dimly lit as always, and as she moved in she didn't see him at first. But she did hear him, noises of rustling and the quiet clink of glasses. She slowed her pace and tightened her grip on one of Doc's guns.

She could see a figure moving now, behind the bar. As she cocked the hammer back, however, the figure rose up and she breathed a sigh of relief. Nedley regarded her with some curiosity, though it seemed like nothing surprised him these days.

"Oh. Well I guess I'm cancelling my trip to Punta Cana," he remarked, dropping an olive into a waiting martini.

"Retirement would bore you, trust me," said Wynonna, easing the gun back into its holster.

"Oh I do."

There was a moment of silence, with Nedley watching Wynonna closely. She swallowed hard and looked down.

"I went back to the homestead…" she trailed off.

"And they're all gone." Nedley finished with a knowing look in his eyes.

"What about in town?"

"Chrissy….Everybody. It's just you and me kid." For a moment there was a shine to his eyes but he blinked it away, looking hard back at Wynonna.

"Something in the garden was trying to come through and then it…was coming for them. I thought it was supposed to be paradise?"

"Are they even still alive in there?" he asked, gently as he could.

Wynonna felt her throat hitch as he voiced the same question she had been asking herself.

"Hell yes." She meant to say it strongly, with certainty, but it came out as a whisper as her voice cracked.

"Just tell me what we do."

For the first time since everything had happened, Wynonna felt a small smile growing across her lips. She picked up one of the guns on the counter, cocking it emphatically.

"Let's get them back."

Nedley regarded her for a moment with a sense of growing pride. Determination sparked across his features as he grabbed the other gun, mirroring the movement.

"Fuck yeah."

* * *

Wynonna now sat in the passenger seat of her truck, with an old, worn map spread across her knees and the note with the address grasped in hand. Nedley said he had a fairly good idea of where it led. It was the address to an old warehouse that had once been used to hold farming equipment some 70 years ago but had been abandoned during the boom of automation that had swept through Purgatory. It was just on the outskirts of the Ghost River Triangle, though now that she thought about it, that wasn't a good way of quantifying things anymore.

She wondered if there were even any Revenants left, much less where they could and couldn't go. The curse was broken. It was all she had ever wanted. And yet…

She gripped the map harder, feeling the brittle edges begin to crumble and flake off. Focus. No time to fall apart now, not that she even deserved to.

Nedley cleared his throat, glancing at Wynonna from the side of his eye.

"You know I've seen some things… Wynonna it isn't good to hold that inside you. Sooner or later it will come out."

"Yeah, well now's really not the time for that." She said brusquely, folding the map and throwing it behind her as they pulled off the road and glimpsed the warehouse. It stood tall, with rows of busted windows and rusted sheet metal. As they rolled up on the broken asphalt, Wynonna pushed open the truck doors, leaping out as the truck rolled to a stop.

"Wait!" called Nedley, as he held up Doc's gun and belt to her.

She ignored him, striding towards the warehouse.

"You don't have a weapon, Wynonna."

"I am a weapon."

She took several more strides before hiking her leg up and slamming it against the warehouse door. It crumpled immediately, years of rust and weather taking its toll on the frame as the door buckled inward and swung off the hinges to clatter to the ground. Wynonna stepped in and glanced about. Most of the roof was gone, and the ground was littered with shingles and bits of broken glass covering the cracked concrete floor. There was a lone figure in the middle of the warehouse, sitting on a crate. She noticed three other shapes lying on the ground behind the figure, and immediately stepped forward.

The figure was a woman, tall and strong. She had shoulder length black hair and Wynonna couldn't help but notice the large snake tattoo that curled up and around her right arm ending at her shoulder. She had a large sheath on her back with what looked like a wicked sword held there, along with a pistol on each hip. She said nothing, merely watching Wynonna's entrance. The woman raised what looked like a flask to her lips and took a small drink. As Wynonna stepped closer she could see the shapes behind the woman better, and her breath hitched as she spotted a shock of familiar red hair. The woman followed Wynonna's gaze to her friends, and then glanced back up at her.

"Whatever you used to render them unconscious, I believe it was too much." Came the cool, rich voice. There was just a hint of an accent that Wynonna couldn't place.

"And who are you? I assume it's your name scratched all over my fucking walls, thanks by the way."

"I thought I had written it big enough," the woman frowned slightly. "I am Valdez."

"I- Listen I fucking know your name alright I meant who ARE you?"

Valdez frowned again, eyebrows furrowed. "You did not like my message then? I thought it was clear."

Wynonna gripped the bridge of her nose. "Listen Lara Croft, I've had a really long day and I'm not interested in chit-chatting. I'm taking them."

Wynonna pulled the sword from its sheath and pointed it at the woman.

"Now."

Valdez merely blinked, studying the sword and Wynonna with her dark eyes.

Wynonna smirked slightly. "It's bigger when I turn it on too."

And with that the sword burst into the familiar blueish flames that licked up from the hilt. Valdez sat forward at this, interest peeking through on her face, though she still seemed unfazed.

"You do not know how to use that. Your form is poor."

Wynonna charged at the woman, swinging in a wide arc down and to the side. In a flash Valdez was standing and had unsheathed her own blade. With one deft motion she caught the cross guard of Wynonna's blade with her own, and twisting she sent the flaming sword skittering away across the floor.

Wynonna looked surprised, breathing somewhat heavily from the intensity of the moment, however brief. She looked from the woman to the sword, now extinguished, several feet from her. Valdez smiled slightly.

"Do not worry. I hear many people have trouble lasting." Came the irritatingly cool voice again.

Wynonna stomped over to the sword and snatched it back up, glaring at the taller woman.

"I am not here to kill them. Or you, Garden Keeper."

Wynonna put her best poker face on. "Well it seems word gets around fast then, hm?"

"Oh I was already on my way here when I received the news."

"And who exactly told you?"

Valdez said nothing, simply watching the other woman.

Wynonna scowled and rolled her eyes. She shoved past Valdez hard, which to her immense displeasure seemed to not even affect the giant. Hitting her shoulder was like hitting a rock, and Wynonna suspected her own arm would hurt more than she had managed to hurt the other.

"You are not interested in what I have to say then?" called Valdez, still not moving.

"Nope!" said Wynonna, as she knelt beside Jeremy.

She placed a shaky hand under his chin and quietly sighed in relief when she felt a strong pulse in response. She knew that Nicole was lying right beside him but she carefully avoided looking at the woman, dread surging in her.

"Dolls called me."

Wynonna froze.

Valdez offered nothing else, gauging Wynonna's reaction as best she could when the other woman had her back to her. When Wynonna finally stood back up and turned around, she saw a flash of metal flying towards her. Instinctively she reached out and her hand closed around a small key with some inscription on it, took small to read in the dim light of the setting sun. Valdez stared hard at her, eyes searching for something, and seemingly finding it, she sat back down again and took another drink.

"Those masked creatures were about to kill them. So I saved them and brought them here until the danger had passed."

Another look into Wynonna's eyes.

"And I admit, I was also curious about your capabilities."

Valdez stood again, screwing the lid onto her flask. There was a new look in her eyes, almost one of softness, of understanding.

"Much has happened to you today, but there is still work to be done. When you are ready, come find me."

And with that the taller woman turned and strode confidently further into the warehouse and the darkness engulfed her. Wynonna shook her head, gathering herself and raised her voice.

"NEDLEY, THEY'RE HERE!"

* * *

Wynonna sighed, as she rifled through the cabinets searching for any alcohol she could find. She opened an upper cabinet and was rewarded with a mostly full bottle of whiskey staring back at her.

 _Figures Ms. Straight Laced doesn't drink a lot. More for me then._

She unscrewed the bottle and threw the cap away. Wouldn't be needing that anymore. Taking a large swig, she made her way back over to the couch where the ginger-haired cop lay. Nedley had taken Robin and Jeremy back to Robin's house, and so Wynonna had offered to bring Nicole back to hers. Now Nicole lay motionless on the couch, a cloth draped across her forehead. Wynonna had been there for several hours now and she hadn't stirred at all. There was a dark bruise blooming across the right side of her face where she had fallen out of the chair.

 _When you drugged her._

Wynonna took another long drink. Nicole looked pale, and her breathing had been shallow enough that Wynonna wondered if she had really used too much or if Nicole had hit her head harder than Wynonna thought.

 _You managed to kill both of them. Well done. Now you won't have to tell her how you killed her lover and your other sister._

Wynonna shuddered at the momentary feeling of relief, followed instantly by a wave of shame. Another drink. The bottle was almost a fourth empty by now. She was going to have to find some more alcohol before-

And at that moment Nicole stirred for the first time, eyebrows furrowing as a groan escaped her parted lips. Wynonna locked her eyes on the redhead, waiting for any further signs of life, anxiety roiling in her gut. Nicole groaned again, and pulled her right hand up to her head. Her eyes cracked open slowly, unfocused.

"Waverly?" she called out in a hoarse voice.

Crack. A small hole in her armor, sending spider webbed fissures across her chest.

Nicole didn't seem to notice, or realize her mistake. She blinked a few more times, eyes coming into focus as she stared up at Wynonna's face. She slowly sat up, letting out another groan and grabbing her head with both hands this time.

"Easy, that's a good bruise." Wynonna warned quietly.

 _And you're about to get one to match after this._

Wynonna swallowed thickly.

"Oh man, what hit me?" rasped Nicole as she gently probed the right side of her face, hissing when she hit the center of the swelling.

Wynonna shrugged, and threw back another swig. Nicole looks hesitant, but hopeful.

"But… we did it right?"

There was a silence that almost knocked the hope off the younger cop's face before Wynonna replied, quietly, "Bulshar is dead."

Nicole exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding, and sagged back against the couch.

"I, uh…have something to tell you."

Nicole frowned, concern etched across her features anew as she tried and failed to make eye contact with Wynonna.

"Hey, what is it?" Nicole said, in her best reassuring voice.

"It got Doc."

 _I'm such a fucking chicken._

Nicole's response was immediate and infuriatingly kind, as she reached out to grasp Wynonna's hand in hers.

"Oh Wynonna, I'm so sorry," she said warmly, trying to stand up fully.

Crack. Another series of fissures etch their way up her torso.

"Take it easy, Haught."

"Really, I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

"Wynonna," she looked almost scolding now, "It's okay for it to not be fine. This is why you have family, me and Waverly, we're here for you. Let us be here for you."

Nicole moved to stand again, and this time made it to her feet before Wynonna could stop her. The room spun dangerously and Nicole staggered, a dry heave sending its way through her stomach. Wynonna grabbed her harshly, forcing her back down.

"I said take it easy damnit!" snapped Wynonna angrily , "It hasn't worked all the way out of your system."

Nicole frowned, confused. "What hasn't?"

Fuck.

Nicole frowned deeper, holding her head again as another spike of pain set in, this time bringing memories with it.

"Wait, I…" Nicole started, as the flashes hit her.

The feeling of lead in her limbs after taking the shot of whiskey. Waverly grabbing towards her as she fell into nothingness. She heard her head hit the ground but didn't feel it.

" _You can't do this alone Earp."_

Wynonna watched with dread as the final pieces clicked into place in Nicole's head.

"You…you drugged me?" she said softly, her voice breaking.

Wynonna made the mistake of catching her eye and the look of hurt and betrayal almost took her breath away. Somewhere in the back of her mind she realized just how much this woman had come to mean to her. Too little too late.

Crack.

"I did it to protect you," said Wynonna, words beginning to slur from the alcohol and shame paralyzing her tongue.

"What happened?" The question was so light, but so sinister. Another snake curled up in the woods, rattling dangerously.

Wynonna was silent.

Another realization hit Nicole, this one much more terrifying.

"Where is Waverly?"

The snakes were everywhere now, curled around her feet, up her legs and squeezing her chest. Their rattles fill her ears as she tilts the bottle back and chugs, wiping her mouth.

"Wynonna," the voice is low now, a rattler itself. "What. Happened." And suddenly it isn't a question anymore. And Wynonna has never been smart but she isn't stupid either. And she knew Nicole is much smarter than she is.

Nicole is frozen, all her muscles tensed. She knew this feeling, this air of dread. Because she was normally on the other side of it. She has told people of their loved one's passing before, and can recall easily the most terrible moment. The moment right before its said aloud. Nicole knew what was coming and yet she coudln't bring herself to accept that.

"Where is Waverly?!" She slipped into her cop voice now, demanding and authoritative.

Wynonna can feel the burning in her throat as she looked at Nicole finally, eyes glistening but refusing to cry.

 _It's not real if I don't say it._

 _It's not real if I don't say it._

 _It's not real if I don't say it._

Nicole's voice is quiet now, almost a whisper.

"Wynonna. What did you do?"

And Wynonna feels the dam burst, from the alcohol and grief and lack of sleep and God knows what else.

"She's gone. It got her because she chose to save me. She saved me and she's gone," she said thickly, gesturing with the bottle so that whiskey slopped out and onto the floor.

Nicole is frozen, thoughts racing, adrenaline surging up through her chest so hard and fast that it hurts all the way from her spine to her ribcage, too full of feeling, too full of terror. Shots surge down her legs and she can feel them beginning to shake. Her body's attempts to get her away from the danger. But Nicole could run the world over again and it would never be gone.

"Why-" she starts.

"Yeah I'm asking myself that too," interrupted Wynonna sarcastically, drinking again.

"Why didn't you let us back you up? Why did you take her alone out there?"

Wynonna bristles, and for the first time today feels relief at the new feelings blossoming in her chest. Anger. It is familiar to her, an old friend. And it is much safer than this crushing sadness. Much safer and much more powerful.

"Because I'm the heir with the big damn gun and I had the best fucking chance. Like you could have done anything better?"

"You were reckless!"

"And you're delusional if you think you could have stopped that."

"I deserved the right to try!"

Wynonna felt a bitter laugh bubbling up her throat as she unsheathed her sword and it burst into flames.

"I have this and I couldn't fucking stop it. What would you have done huh? Arrested it? Give me a fucking break Haught." She swung the blade around, drunkenly. It passed inches from Nicole's face but she didn't flinch.

"I deserved the right to try."

"Yeah and why's that Officer Haught?" barked Wynonna with a mocking salute.

"Because I am her girlfriend," she whispered, low and threatening.

Nicole stood now, and stepped up to Wynonna until they were almost nose to nose. Dimly Wynonna realized just how tall she was when she didn't slouch; she was actually an inch or two taller than Wynonna.

"I'm getting her back," Nicole said, firmly.

Wynonna laughed again, shoving her shoulder. Nicole felt the room spin dangerously but kept her feet under her, vision flashing red. Wynonna knows that she's being terrible to her but she can't stop. Anything is better than falling into the grief.

 _Come on Haught, hit me. Let's go._

"I trusted you," said Nicole, eyes beginning to redden.

Wynonna turned her back and stepped away, taking another long draw of whiskey.

"Well that was your mistake buddy."

"Yes, it was."

Wynonna stands, wordless, staring out the window.

"You made your choice, Wynonna. And now you will have to reap the consequences. You made your choice and you robbed me of mine in the process."

Crack. She imagines she looks like stained glass right now, but she'll be damned if someone else sees it.

"Get out of my house, Wynonna Earp."

Wynonna feels the blow physically, and staggers around to look at Nicole, the bravado gone for a split second.

"I-"

But Nicole's eyes are cold, shining like hard diamonds with unshed tears.

"Get out of my house and do not come back."

Wynonna says nothing, numbly stumbling to the front door. She just barely made it out when Nicole slams it hard enough to send her hair flying out in front of her from the impact, shaking the front porch. Immediately she can hear a heavy thud as Nicole collapses, sobbing on the other side of the door.

Crack. And the dam breaks, slowly at first as a single tear begins to flow down her face. She turns back to the door and places one hand on the painted wood, pausing for a moment.

Two moments.

Three.

But people do not change.

And Wynonna is a coward.

She pulls her hand away from the door, turns, and steps out into the bitterly cold night air.

* * *

Hello all! Well this is it! My first full forray into the WE fanfiction scene. I've been tossing around this idea ever since the s3 finale but I wasn't really sure if I would be capable enough to write it. But I figured I might as well try and see where it goes! I'm new to writing in general but you can find me on tumblr as aislingfilidh if you want updates on chapters and the like. Thanks to everyone who has read this far and I hope you enjoy the journey with me!

Also if anyone knows who designed the image I'm using for this story let me know, I searched high and low but I can't find them and I want to give credit!


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